Ceara Sturgis is a senior at a Mississippi high school described as being exemplary: "a straight-A student, goal on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Drunk Driving". Despite all of this, Ceara's school is not allowing her senior photo to be included in the yearbook.
Why? Because Ceara is also a lesbian and since, as her mother says, she "feels more comfortable in boy's clothes", decided to wear a tux for the photo.
Her mother, Veronica Rodriguez, is fighting the school's decision, and the local ACLU has also written to them asking that they include Ceara's photo in the yearbook. No comment from the school so far.
Rodriguez says, "She's not a troublemaker. She is gay. She wants to wear the tuxedo because that's who she is. She's not ashamed of that."
According to the article, Ceara has very few problems with other students because of her sexuality and gender expression.
So what is this school so afraid of?
One thing we can say is that at least now many people get to see Ceara's photo. I really admire her strength and courage and I hope that other LGBT highschoolers like her can take the same things away from her story that Ceara has: "It has made her feel that she is not alone, that she is important and somebody".
Good luck, Ceara!
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When I was in high school, we included a senior picture of "the unknown student". It was a guy with a paper bag over his head. They put it in with all the other pics. Why do people get their panties in such a wad. Just publish the picture. It is a yearbook. It is supposed to be by the students for the students. She isn't naked or flipping off the camera. Sheesh.
School is supposed to help students achieve their goals, not our goals.
This is really sad.
And it's not even about being a lesbian! I'm straight and I wear tuxedos to important events all the time. I don't feel comfortable in dresses and heels, and I adore male clothing.
I really hope they change their minds.
Sorry to nit pick, but does it really matter what her grades and extracurriculars are? Even if she was an average student with no extracurriculars, she should be allowed to wear a tux in a photo.
I know you probably didn't intend anything by that, but I've always found it strange that a lot of people give the detail about a student having straight A's.
That's a good point.
I included it since it was mentioned in the article, but it's true that it shouldn't carry any weight.
Maybe they were trying to suggest that she didn't have any history with the school that would make them more likely to be harsher with her? But that doesn't seem right either. I guess I can't think of any good reasons why they should mention that.
What it matters is that it shows that she's not someone just trying to stir the shit.
Exactly: the point is, there can be no other reason for her picture not showing up in the yearbook. It's not that she has an issue with the school, it's that it has an issue with her.
You know what? I wish she was someone trying to stir the shit. Then she wouldn't have the same type of feelings invested in her tuxedo. She is being singled out because of her gender expression. I wouldn't give a crap if she got straight Ds and toilet papered the principal's car.
Wow. Just. Wow.
Though you could care less, she obviously gives a GREAT big damn about her grades, her future and her reputation as someone who ISNT a "troublemaker" and that should hold just as much weight as anything else because its important to her. Mayb SHE or her MOM wanted that information included in the articles written about her. Why does it have to be about what other people who aren't even being ecluded from the yearbook want? They aren't being discriminated against.
In absolutely no way am I talking about Ceara specifically in that post. She is a good student, great. Luna said what matters is Ceara wasn't trying to stir the shit. I called bullshit on Luna because grades and status shouldn't matter when we are talking about discrimination. The sting of being excluded from the yearbook doesn't abate when a student is disengaged from school. That student could very well be drowning because of discrimination by the school. Should we not stand up for that child? Do they not deserve support?
Thanks for reading my defense of people who exist outside the golden child continuum as a dissing Ceara...
This annoys me too actually. That type of reporting and extra praise(which is fine in and of itself) leads to the exclusion and unfair treatment of people who don't measure up, or break their backs striving to. It's an unnecessary detail.
With that aside, this is definitely a violation of personal freedom, and militant enforcement of cultural/societal expectations.
These cases seem to be cropping up a lot. I love the parents' response in this one, although of course very few parents can really drop $700 on a yearbook ad.
Why can't we just let the kids enjoy their yearbooks? These people make everything about "the kids" up until they don't.
*shakes head* This is such a stupid excuse. Honestly, did the school just do this because they think that any press is good press? I grew up in a very conservative area where a tom-boy farm girl (who happens to be straight) wore a tux to grad and no one batted an eye. It's just what she felt comfortable in. Would they have been happier if she conformed to her gender role more closely and wore a bikini?
It's hard enough being that age; just let her be herself and happy.
Some teachers are just control freaks. I had a choir teacher in eleventh grade who informed us that all the guys had to wear a white tux shirt, cummerbund, and black dress pants, and all the girls had to wear a white blouse and black skirt. A few days before the concert, she specified that this had to be a LONG black skirt. Girls of various sexual orientations protested that they were uncomfortable wearing skirts, and my mother phoned the teacher to inform her that it was extremely difficult to find long black skirts in a size two in the spring. (This was in 2000--size two wasn't nearly as easy to find then, and size zero was almost unheard of. I am 5'0" and weighed 104 pounds at the time.) The teachers eventually relented and allowed girls the option of wearing the guys' uniform, which a lot did, but I think that was the music department head's decision rather than that of the teacher who initiated the long skirt rule. This sounds like a similar situation, with teachers more interested in controlling students than in the students' welfare--only this time, the higher school officials aren't overruling the yearbook teacher :(.
I don't even remotely understand why anyone would care. Even if you're really conservative. Good god.
Who cares why she wanted to wear a tux? It's a moot fucking point, she's dressed formally, get the fuck over it. *fumes*
I don't know what her grades have to do with it, or the fact that she's gay. I hate that qualifying her decision to wear a tux with "she's gay" is deemed relevant.
I think "she's gay" does have some relevance, as it may have played a role in exactly why her picture was removed. If she was straight and had a boyfriend and this was well known through out the school, the reaction to her wearing a tux may have been different. Then she would be called a "tom boy", which doesn't have as negative a connotation as "butch lesbian chick", as ignorant stereotyping would put it.
The grades, though, did sort of bother me. While I understand that they are attempting to play up the fact that she's never been in serious trouble, I can think to at least a dozen other similar articles where grades are made a point. It does make you wonder how many B/C students are struggling with these situations, only to be utterly ignored. Because God knows, if you don't do well in geography than you deserve any sexism that comes you're way.
I'm so glad she has supportive parents, and I feel lucky that I went to a school that didn't care what gendered clothing I wore in my senior photo or that I took another girl to prom.
You know, I don't have a problem with praising her for straight A's. It's commendable, and whether you like it or not, it does help her case in the court of public opinion - it emphasizes that it is definitely about being allowed to be who she is rather than being a rebellious teenager or some other excuse. It's not like they're praising her for being hot or something... they are pointing out her academic achievement. But hey, I got straight A's in high school so maybe I'm biased...
I agree. She bust her ass for those good grades and she DESERVES the recognition that comes with good grades. Nobody had an issue with villifying Bush for his C's and D's in college while upholding Obama's wonderful grades and academic achievements so WHY in the world would we downplay or hide the fact that she's an exemplar student?
That makes ZERO sense. It's relevant to the fact that yes- sometimes those who arent graduating ie those who failed dont always have a right to be in the senior pictures. She's a straight A student, a well rounded one at that so it highlights the fact of where the problem lay.
Playing a little devil's advocate here.
I've been Dean's List every year. Does my discrimination count more? Should we play into a culture that assigns a higher value to students who know how to work the academic system in their favor? Are good grades an accurate measure of character?
"I've been Dean's List every year. Does my discrimination count more?"
No, absolutely not. However, any claims that you make about mistreatment by your academic institution will be given more weight and validity as a result of your good grades and (presumably) good behavior.
That is not at all to say that we should overlook discrimination that is leveled against poor students or those who are disenfranchised from the school system; however, when evaluating the likely authenticity of claims of poor treatment, most people will taken into account good behavior on the part of the claimant, as it seems to be indicative of good faith.
The problem with taking grades into account as "good behavior" is that grades are not simply a matter of good choices. Well-intentioned students can be unable to get good grades.
Certainly. However, A) this isn't only about good grades but rather about her overall exemplary behavior ("a straight-A student, goal on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Drunk Driving"); and B) while you are absolutely correct that there is not a 1:1 predictive relationship between bad grades and bad behavior, good grades are generally viewed to be fairly strongly correlated with good behavior.
There are certainly some excellent students who are also absolute troublemakers, just as there are some below average students who are well intentioned and well behaved. However, general trends indicate that Ceara's grades and academic record suggest good intentions on her part, which is relevant when examining the school's decisions regarding her attire.
I disagree on two points.
1. Participating in all those activity privileged. There are plenty of kids who are good souls with no guidance and direction. They do not have parents with time/good intentions/the ability to shepherd them through the school system. These types of children tend not to thrive within our school setup. Being a poor student does not make a child bad or undeserving of protection.
2. Good intentions on her part mean zero. She could have been wearing the tux on a dare, just for fun, because she hates dresses, because of literally any reason. None of those change the fact that the decision to remove her from the yearbook is wrong.
The question has never been whether the school could conceivably have any good reason for removing her from the yearbook; obviously it could not. The discussion at hand is whether the article shouldn't have bothered to mention her grades and academic history.
And I'm saying I think it is a shame for the public to need that information to be on the child's side.
I don't think that information is remotely necessary for any reasonable person to be on Ceara's side, but I do think it is helpful and serves to further establish her credibility.
To forestall objections, I am not saying you need to be a good student to be credible: just that good students tend to be credible.
thank you very much I work my ass off or my 4.0. I don't "work the system" I get up at fucking five o clock in the morning, go to my extra-curricular activities, work my ass off all day at school, go home and spend hours doing homework, not to mention my full time job and the fact that I have to come home and cook dinner and do dishes. I'm sick of people saying that somehow its not okay that I am an A student or that I am not an A student of my own hard work but because I kiss my teachers asses. I don't kiss my teachers asses and comments like your "work the system in their favor" are not appropriate and just reiterate the point that girls never deserve their grades because they manipulate their teachers to get them.
You are reading in things I am not saying. I am a stones throw from being a straight A student and a woman. I know how to work within the confines my university system. I am a great test taker. I am confident enough to ask/demand answers to my questions.
My ability to flourish within my academic field comes from years of tag education. My peers who didn't test in to the program did not have the same resources. I was lucky to have parents who valued education. They pushed me to do well in school. All those factors and more allow me to work the system in my favor. Understanding how to get good grades does not mean I do not bust ass to do well. No one is handing out As like sugar cookies at Christmas.
Look at research about which children do well in school and why. Then you will understand I am not taking jabs at good students. All I am trying to say is that people who are unable to get good grades are not necessarily bad people.
Okay, I've been thinking about this all morning. Here is the most succinct way to make my point:
Elevating the people who exist outside of the honor roll is not meant to diminish the people who excel academically.
One more spin and then I'm done.
What does it say about our culture when Ceara, a privileged girl with good family support, can become the victim of such blatant discrimination?
SO a YOUNG (minor), LATINA (minority), LESBIAN (HELL FUCKING O) is now priveldged? Because her mother gives a shit about her she is PRIVLEGED? Her good grades and good deeds should be down played to make the white male straight students who arent straight A students feel better about themselves?
Let me let you on to something, ANYTIME ANYONE needs to put down a person or a group of people to feel better about who they are- the problem probably isn't the other person/group. Bettering yourself should never entail tearing down or belittling another person.
Having a mother willing to fight for you, to provide transportation and funding or figure out transportation and funding for after school activities is privileged.
Where the fuck am I playing down her grades "make the white male straight students who arent straight A students feel better about themselves?" Please point that out to me.
ALL I AM SAYING IS THE GRADES PLAY NO PART IN DEFENDING HER AGAINST DISCRIMINATION. SHE COULD BE ANYONE ANYWHERE AND I WOULD DEMAND THE SAME ACTIONS FROM THE SCHOOL.
Jesus fucking christ. I am done with this post.
Hey, just a warning that the comments on the original article on the Mississippi newspapar website are really upsetting and triggering.
Oh yeah the Clarion-Ledger is not the place to go for REAL news here in Mississippi. Go to the Jackson Free Press website and you will find a community of free thinking Mississippians!
Ceara Sturgis has support here in Mississippi! Go to her Facebook page and show her she has support from all over!
(I don't know if I can edit the original post to add this, so I'll just put it here)
UPDATE: The school says they will not reverse their decision ( http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20091018/NEWS/910180361/School+stands+by+decision+on+photo )
Here's the e-mail address of Ceara's principal - rdgreer@copiah.k12.ms.us let him know that you support Ceara!
Here' the e-mail address of Ceara's principal : rdgreer@copiah.k12.ms.us Let him know you support Ceara!